


Heart Sets the Pace

by giantpanda



Series: What if... [13]
Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: Canon Rewrite, F/M, Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:42:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27161977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giantpanda/pseuds/giantpanda
Summary: What if Neil's injuries after the earthquake weren't life threatening?
Relationships: Claire Browne/Neil Melendez
Series: What if... [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1799092
Comments: 50
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> The more I see about the upcoming season the more annoyed I get. The writers had built up something magical to just destroy it. This idea wouldn't leave me alone, but I struggled to get it written. I have limited medical knowledge and know nothing about how a hospital actually works, please forgive any errors.

Neil sat on the edge of the hospital bed getting ready to go home. He was still shaken by being at the brewery during the earthquake. He had felt fine to operate on Marta with Claire but had gotten sick and collapsed soon after. Waking up in the ambulance had been disorienting, but Claire’s presence had settled him. She had been insistent on him getting checked out at the hospital, despite his assurances that he was fine. If he was honest with himself, he had enjoyed having her worry over him. He had witnessed her patient care many times, but it was different having that energy directed towards him.

He had endured more scans than he felt were necessary, but only put up a small fight with her. He could see the worry in her eyes and wanted to reassure her that things were okay. The bruise on his side ached and he had a slight headache, but considering what he had been through, he could deal with both. He knew that things could’ve been much worse.

He had been in the hospital for all day and was trying to decide if he should check himself out of the hospital or wait for Claire. He knew if he waited for her, she would insist that he stay longer, but he didn’t want to leave without seeing her. He knew it wasn’t necessary for him to stay and they could use the space for a patient with more serious injuries. He also had a more selfish reason in wanting to see her. During the uncertainty when they were doing the scans, he had plenty of time to think. If something had been seriously wrong, he thought about what regrets he would have. His first thought had been of Gabbi and leaving her all alone. His second had been Claire and the fact that she didn’t know how he truly felt about her.

He couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment he had realized that he cared about her as more than just a friend. He figured it had happened just as he had told Shaun. Gradually, he had fallen in love with her. As her boss, he knew he couldn’t act on those feelings, choosing instead to maintain their friendship and do whatever he could to make sure she found the happiness she deserved, even if it wasn’t with him. Sometimes he felt as if she might have the same feelings as him, but he would never bring it up. He’d rather they remain friends than not have her in his life at all.

But as he laid in the MRI, it seemed like such a waste to have not told her how he felt. Was their working relationship really a good enough reason not to try for something that could bring them both idiotic happiness? If his injuries had been more severe, his regret would’ve been never telling her he loved her and never getting the chance to kiss her. It was complicated, but he wondered if he should take the chance. He wondered if she would share his desire for something more, or if she would run away from a chance at happiness.

“What are you doing?”

He glanced up to find Claire standing in the doorway. Even though she had been working nonstop since the earthquake, and her exhaustion was clear, he was still struck by how beautiful she was.

“Going home,” he answered. He held up his hand to stop her argument, “You ran all the tests, we both looked over the scans. I’m fine.”

She folded her arms across her chest, “You should stay longer just to make sure there are no complications. We don’t know what caused you to collapse.”

He stood and walked towards her. “Claire, I’ve been here for hours, the scans were clear, I don’t need to stay here for a few bumps and bruises. I can rest at home.”

“What if you start feeling worse?”

“Then I’ll come back, but I won’t.”

“Or you can just stay here for observation.”

“It’s not necessary.”

She sighed. “What if it was me?” she asked.

He frowned, “What?”

“If I had been there and had gotten hurt, would you let me go home?”

The thought of any harm coming to her made him nauseous. If she had been injured there was no way he would let her go home, and he could see by the look in her eyes that she knew that.

“I would recommend that you stayed.” He shook his head at the triumphant look on her face. “But knowing you, you’d want to go home just as much as I do.”

“That doesn’t mean you’d let me go. I’d feel better if you stayed until tomorrow morning.”

“How about you let me leave, and you can stay with me, so you can keep an eye on me?”

She was quiet for a moment and he wondered if he was overstepping the boundaries between them. Yet, as soon as he suggested it, he knew it was exactly what he wanted.

“Okay,” she agreed. “But we need to stop at my place first.”

“Of course,” he said. “When are you off?”

She glanced down at her watch, “About two hours ago.”

“Claire,” he started.

She shook her head. “You’re leaving the hospital against my advice, you don’t get to lecture me.”

“I wasn’t going to lecture you,” he said. “Just going to remind you that you have to take care of yourself.”

“You operated on someone while injured. You don’t get to say anything.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “Fine. I won’t.”

She smiled, pleased with herself for winning that argument. “Let me get my things and I’ll come back to get you. Don’t leave without me.”

“I won’t.”

Neil sat back down on the bed and wondered if he was making a mistake. He already had so many thoughts about Claire in his mind, and now she was going to be in his house. He was exhausted and knew she was as well. He hoped that he would be able to continue masking his feelings for her. He wasn’t sure he trusted himself not to tell her he was in love with her. Maybe it would be better to stay at the hospital.

He glanced up as she returned. He saw the relief in her eyes and realized that she had thought he would leave without her. The last thing he ever wanted to do was cause her pain. He stood and motioned for her to go first as they left the hospital room. They were quiet as they made their way to her car. He was glad to see that shifts were changing and that many of the doctors were getting a break.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, unlocking the car.

“I told you, I’m good. I had a brilliant doctor taking care of me.”

His words had the desired affect and she smiled. He loved being the one to put that smile on her face.

“How are you doing?” he asked as they got in her car.

“I’m fine,” she said quickly.

“It’s okay if you’re not,” he said. “It’s been a crazy day.”

“Yes, it has,” she said softly.

He turned his head to look at her. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

“No thanks,” she said, shaking her head.

She turned the radio on low and they rode to her apartment in silence. There was so much he wanted to say but wasn’t sure where to begin. Maybe it would be better to wait until things had settled down and the earthquake wasn’t so prominent in both of their minds. He had decided that he was going to need to share his feelings with her, he just didn’t know how. He waited in the car for her to pack a bag and then drive them to his place. He noticed that she would glance over at him every few minutes. He wanted to ask her what she was thinking but wasn’t sure he was ready to hear the answer.

Finally, she pulled up to his place. They both quietly got out of the car. He reached to carry her bag for her, but she shook her head. They walked up the path and he unlocked the door. Once inside, they both dropped their things by the door. Claire stopped him from walking any further, and placed her hands against his face, searching his eyes. He felt as if she was finally letting him see how she was really feeling. Her eyes glistened with tears. He placed his hands overtop hers.

“You did all the tests, we both examined the scans, stop worrying.”

“You almost died last tonight,” she said her voice breaking.

He closed his eyes for a second and took a shaky breath. He knew that things could’ve ended much differently.

“But I didn’t. I’m okay, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Neil, I can’t…” she cut herself off by pressing her lips against his.

She had caught him off guard and it took him a few seconds to realize that she was kissing him. Once he did, he moved to wrap his arms around her waist bringing her closer to him. He thought about the regrets he had earlier, and even though it wasn’t the right time, he couldn’t bring himself to stop. Her arms snaked around his neck as she deepened the kiss. He had thought about this moment more than he would like to admit, and it was better than anything he could imagine.

His hand slid up her shirt as he left a trail of kisses down her neck. He lost himself in the moment as he enjoyed having her in his arms. He winced as her hand traveled down and brushed against the bruise on his side.

Claire stepped back, “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

He moved to bring her closer. “I’m fine. It’s just a little sore.”

Her fingers fiddled with the buttons at the top of his shirt. “Do you want to stop?” she asked softly.

“No, do you?”

She brushed her lips against his. “No, but you need to promise you’ll tell me if you’re in pain.”

“I promise,” he said. 

He knew he wasn’t making the best decision. He had wanted her for so long, and after the trauma from the earthquake, he didn’t want to take any chances that he wouldn’t get the chance to be with her. He should stop them, maybe take a moment to talk first. But after so much loss and potential loss, he wanted to be closer to her.

He took her hand and brought it up to lips. He gently kissed her hand before keeping it in his hand as he led her to the bedroom. He didn’t want to have any regrets when it came to Claire. He would deal with the consequences in the morning. They both deserved a night of happiness.


	2. Chapter Two

As Neil woke up, he felt the lingering ache in his side. Not that he had any regrets about what had happened with Claire, but it probably wasn’t the best idea to exert himself so soon after leaving the hospital. Not that he would ever tell her that. She was already concerned enough about him.

He turned onto his side to reach out for her and frowned when he realized she wasn’t there. He moved back to lay on his back and closed his eyes as a range of emotions filled him. His first thought was concern. Had he pushed her into something she hadn’t wanted? Had he taken advantage of her? His second was sadness. The thought that their friendship and potential for more could have been destroyed in one night. Part of him was also angry that she would leave without saying a word. She had never held back when telling him about her fears and previous relationships. Why would this be any different?

He wasn’t sure what he should do. If he should call her, go find her, or leave her alone? He had fought his feelings for her for so long, and he hoped that he hadn’t ruined everything between them. After last night, there was no denying his feelings for her. He knew he should do something to protect his heart from being broken again, but if she really had left without telling him, he wasn’t sure there was anything he could do. He wondered if he was waiting on his third heartbreak. 

He startled when he heard a noise. He opened his eyes and there she was, walking into his bedroom. She was wearing a t-shirt of his with her curls loose down her back. She was carrying a glass of water. She hadn’t left.

“Sorry,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” 

“You didn’t.” He hesitated before admitting, “I thought you had left.”

She paused on her way to the bed. “Do you want me to?”

“No.”

She climbed back into the bed beside him and Neil had to resist the urge to reach out for her. She drew the comforter over her legs as she leaned against the headboard. He knew before anything went any further, they needed to talk. He sat up, moving the pillows so he could match her position against the headboard.

She handed him her glass, “I was going to make coffee, but your coffee maker is insane.”

He laughed as he took a drink. “It’s not that bad once you know how to use it. I’ll show you later.” He placed the glass on his nightstand.

“Last night,” she glanced down as she started playing with a string on the comforter.

He hated that he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. He feared that she was able to tell him it was a mistake due to the emotions of what happened at the brewery.

“Last night was incredible,” she said finally looking at him.

“Of course, it was.”

She rolled her eyes as she fought back a smile. “You’re impossible.”

He felt a little relief seeing her smile. Maybe everything would be okay after all. She turned to face him.

“Do you regret it?” she asked softly.

“No,” he answered immediately. “Do you?”

“No.” She glanced down at his chest and reached out to gently run her fingers over the antlers of his tattoo. “What were you thinking when you got this?”

He reached up and took her hand in his, pressing it against his chest. “Is that really what you want to talk about right now?”

She pulled her hand from his and gently caressed his side as her hand traveled down to the bruise. She pressed against his side and he flinched.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

He reached for her hand again. “As long as you don’t poke at it, I’m fine.” He finally gave in and tucked her hair back. He let his fingers caress her face as he encouraged her to look at him. “Trust me. I had a brilliant doctor taking care of me.”

“I thought I was going to lose you,” she said softly. “When you collapsed,” her voice shook, and her eyes filled with tears. “Neil, I haven’t been that scared in a long time.”

“Come here,” he said pulling on her hand to bring her into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and gently rubbed her back. “I’m fine, and I’m not going anywhere.”

“I can’t lose you.”

He pressed a kiss against her head. “You won’t,” he said, taking a shaky breath. “You’re going to be stuck with me for a long time.”

“I’m sorry,” she said as she pulled away wiping at her eyes. “I didn’t mean to cry all over you.”

“Don’t apologize.”

He reached out to wipe at her tears. He thought of all she had lost in the past year and wished that he hadn’t added to her pain. He wondered if this was when he should tell her how he felt about her.

“Last night wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t been hurt.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re my boss,” she said. “We both said that we were just friends.”

“We did,” he agreed. “Is that still what you want?” He looked her in the eye and asked, “Do you want this to be a one-time thing or something more?”

He knew his answer to the question. While his injury may have been the catalyst to them coming together, it was something he had thought about often. He saw the uncertainty in her eyes and wished he knew what she was thinking.

“That’s not a decision for me to make.”

“Why not?”

She sighed. “That’s something we have to decide together.”

He took her hand. “I want to do what you want.”

Even if he ended up with another broken heart, he needed to know that she would be happy.

“Don’t do that,” she said pulling her hand away.

“Do what?” he asked confused.

“Act like what you want doesn’t matter and putting everyone else’s needs in front of your own.”

“I don’t.”

Even as he argued, he knew there were some truth in her words. With Jessica, he had been willing to sacrifice his desire for a family, with Audrey, he had followed her lead on where their relationship would go. Now, he was willing to let Claire to decide if there would even be a relationship.

“You do it all the time,” she said, her frustration clear. “After the earthquake, you were willing to keep working even though you were hurt. You operated on Marta injured.”

“It’s my job.”

“You do it with me. Pushing me towards Dash.”

“I just want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy.”

“Don’t you see,” she reached out and caressed his face. “You deserve to be happy too.”

“Seeing you happy makes me happy.”

She rolled her eyes. “So, if I told you, that last night was the only time we would sleep together, you’d be okay with that?”

He glanced down, unable to look her in the eye. If that was what she wanted, he would go along with it, but it would hurt. Now that he knew what it felt like to be with her, knew what he would be missing if things went back to the way it was before, he wasn’t sure he could do it, but for her he would try.

“Neil, what do you want?”

He looked up into her beautiful eyes and he saw the same uncertainty that he was feeling reflected back. He knew now was the time he needed to take the chance. He felt that it would be worth it. It seemed neither of them wanted to be the first to admit their feelings, so it would have to be him.

“I want you.”

He watched as her surprise gave way to a beautiful smile that lit up her face. In that moment, he knew they were going to be okay.

“I want you too,” she admitted. “And not just for one night.”

He drew her back into his arms. Relieved that they were on the same page in what they wanted.

“I told my therapist that I had fallen in love with my boss,” she said softly.

“Were you ever going to tell me?”

“I just did,” she said kissing him.

“I love you too.”

She settled against his chest. He knew there was more that they needed to talk about. They needed to figure out what to do about work and how they were going to tell everyone that they were together. But for now, he enjoyed the feeling of peace that settled over him. He knew that what they had was special and that this was the start of a brand-new chapter of their lives together.


	3. Chapter Three

After Neil and Claire had admitted their feelings for each other and decided that despite the risks, they wanted to take the chance for a real relationship, it felt as if a weight had been lifted. Neil hadn’t realized just how much effort he had been putting into pretending that he didn’t want more with her. Even though he told her that he was fine, she could tell that he was still sore. She had insisted that he relax and let her take care of him.

He had a few days off from work to heal, and while she had to be in the next day, they had a day together to discuss what they wanted to do. He worried at first that it would be too overwhelming to discuss their future together after just deciding to be together, but they both realized that with the complications at work, they needed to be sure that it was worth it. Thankfully, they both wanted the same thing and saw a future together.

They had stayed in bed together as they made their plans. When he returned to work, he would be the one to speak to Audrey first and see what their next steps would be. He thought about having them do it together but wanted to protect her if there was a negative reaction. He realized that other than work, the changes between the two of them wouldn’t be too drastic. They had pretty much been dating already, they just hadn’t wanted to admit it.

Eventually, they had to leave his bed to make breakfast. Claire told him that she was going to make him breakfast since he was the one who had been injured. During the times that they had spent together, she had always told him that she couldn’t cook. He had assumed that she meant she didn’t like to cook, however, after watching her breakfast attempt, he realized that she hadn’t been exaggerating. He had teased her about being as good of a cook as she was a bowler, as they had thrown away her pancakes that were somehow burnt yet still raw in the middle. He had taken over, enjoying her company beside him.

They spent the rest of the day lounging around on his sofa as they admitted to each other how long they had been hiding their feelings from each other. He told her how he truly felt about her spending time with Dash, and she admitted that she had taken his advice and kissed Dash, which had helped her realize that Neil was the one she wanted. They talked about previous relationships, their fears, and their hopes. They both admitted that they would’ve continued to mask their feelings for each other if he hadn’t been injured in the earthquake. As he held her closer, he was glad that they had made the decision to be together.

That had been a few days ago. She returned to work before he did and continued to text him to check in and to let him know that she missed him. Now, he was finally back at work, although they were keeping him on light duty for a few days. He had spoken to Audrey earlier and had scheduled a time for the two of them to meet. While it would be awkward, he was hoping in the end they would have her support. He tried to keep his distance from Claire, so no one would be able to tell about the change in their relationship. He didn’t trust that he wouldn’t give it away.

He arrived at Audrey’s office a few minutes early. He was confident in his decision to be with Claire, but he was nervous about sharing it with everyone. He knocked on her door and went in when she called.

“How are you feeling?” she asked as he sat down in the chair in front of her desk.

“I’m good.”

“You’re lucky.”

“Very,” he thought about how much worse his injuries could’ve been and how he know was in a relationship with Claire. 

“What did you want to talk about?” she asked as she flipped through the file on her desk.

“It’s kind of a continuation of a conversation we had a while ago.”

She closed the folder and glared at him. “I hope you’re not going to say what I think you’re going to say.”

“What do you think I’m going to say?”

“Is it about Claire.”

“Yes.”

She sighed. “I told you that you had a problem.”

“It’s not a problem.”

“She’s a resident and you’re her attending. That’s a problem.”

“Which is why I’m coming to you so we can make not be one.”

“Neil,” she shook her head. “Do you really expect it to be that easy?”

“Claire’s a talented surgeon, anyone who has worked with her knows this. Our relationship, isn’t going to change that.”

“I know you’re not naive enough to believe that.”

He closed his eyes and leaned back in the seat. He had held out hope that they would be able to make the transition to being together with limited issues. He didn’t want to do anything to impact Claire’s career, but he also knew that he wouldn’t be able to give her up.

“Have you really thought this through?” she asked. “Is this because of what happened with the earthquake?”

“The feelings were already there, that just happened to force us to admit it.”

“Are you sure that this isn’t something that will just pass?”

“Audrey, you know me better than that. I wouldn’t be here if we weren’t sure that this is what both of us want.”

“I know,” she said running her hands against her eyes. “That’s what worries me.”

“Why?”

“It’s different for you. You’re her boss. When others realize you’re together, they’re going to question every accomplishment that Claire has had. She’s going to be out of the running for chief resident. You’re going to make her career that much harder for her. She has already had to fight to get to where she is. Do you want to take that away from her?”

“You really think I didn’t realize that? Why do you think I didn’t say something earlier?” he argued. “I’m coming to you first so we could figure this out.”

“Where you together when the favoritism complaint happened?”

“No, we were just friends then,” he answered honestly. “I never intended for this to happen.”

“I’m not going to be able to talk you out of this am I?”

“No, its what we both want.”

“We’ll have to make some changes. You won’t be able to work with her anymore. We’re going to have to reassign her to another attending.”

“Can’t you or Marcus take her on?” he asked, not wanting to disrupt her residency too much.

“No, the three of us work together too much. People are going to talk no matter what we do, but it would be best if you had nothing to do with the rest of her residency. We might even need to put her on different shifts.”

He knew that she was right, but he had hoped that since she was familiar with Claire that they would be able to find a way to continue with how things were. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to support Claire anymore. While he would miss the chance to mentor her, he knew it was the right thing for them.

“Can I suggest someone?”

“Absolutely not.” She sighed. “Neil, I’m not trying to seem unsupportive. I just want to make sure you know how this is going to affect you both, especially Claire. You need to be ready and you need to make sure that she’s prepared. I can’t tell you enough how much harder this is going to be for her.”

Neil was glad Audrey was looking out for Claire. It made him feel better about coming to her. Everything she said he had thought about before, it was why he hadn’t said anything when he first realized that he had feelings for her. After their conversations the past few days, he knew it was the right thing for them.

“I appreciate it,” he said. “Anything we can do to make sure Claire’s okay.” She gave him a look, “Other than us not being together.”

“I know you’re not going to like this, but I want you to wait a week before you go to HR or tell anyone else.”

“Why?”

“I want both of you to really think about this and make sure it’s what you want. Make sure it isn’t just the emotions of the earthquake.”

“It’s not.”

“Take the time anyway. It will give us time to see who to reassign her to. In a week, we’ll talk with the other attendings, and you will be making another trip to HR.”

“Can’t wait,” he rolled his eyes, dreading his next trip to declare a work relationship.

“Maybe third time will be the charm,” she teased.

“Thanks.” He knew that it would be. He had no doubts that Claire was who he was supposed to be with.

“I do want you to be happy, Neil. I hope Claire makes you happy.”

“Thank you, she does. I want you to be happy too.”

“Thanks, Neil.” She held up the folder on her desk. “You can help make me happy by taking this case.”

He held out his hand and took it from her. “I’m sure I’ll regret it, but sure.”

She filled him in on the attitude of her patient and the rest results. Claire’s shift ended before his and she texted him that he should come over to tell her about his conversation with Audrey. If he wanted, he could even bring food. He couldn’t help but smile when he thought of another evening with her. He hoped she wouldn’t be too upset with the changes Audrey was putting in place.

Neil finished dealing with Audrey’s patient and then left to pick up dinner and head to Claire’s apartment. He parked and headed to her door. He smiled when she opened the door before he could knock. He was happy that she was waiting for her him. She kissed him before taking the bag of food and leading him into the kitchen. They shared about their day as they ate dinner, waiting until they were finished and sitting on the sofa to discuss his conversation with Audrey.

“How’d it go?” she asked as she settled in next to him.

He reached for her hand. “She wants us to take the next week to make sure that this is what we want. She’s going to start seeing who your new attending will be.”

“I can’t stay with her or Dr. Andrews?”

“Audrey thinks it would be better if you’re not associated with me at work at all. She thinks it would help others feeling as if you’ve had an unfair advantage.”

She sighed. “That makes sense.”

“She also mentioned that you would be possibly be out of the running as chief resident.” He reached out and caressed her face. “Are you okay with that?”

“Of course, I wanted it,” she said, “But it is a lot more of the administrative side of things, and I’d rather be in the OR.”

“Audrey’s mainly worried about the consequences for you. You’re going to have to deal with more of the gossip and people doubting your talent.” She was quiet, and he worried about what she was thinking. “You’ve worked incredibly hard to get to this point in your career, and I don’t want anyone to take that away from you.”

He wanted to share with her everything that he had talked about with Audrey. He wanted to give her a chance to change her mind about them if that was what she wanted. He didn’t want her to have any regrets about her choice or to grow to resent him for messing with her career.

“Do you really need a week?” she asked softly. “Are you planning on changing your mind?”

“No,” he answered. “I would’ve gone to HR today. I want this, but I don’t want to mess things up for you.”

“I don’t need a week either.” She moved closer to him and took his hand in hers, interlacing their fingers together. “I know it’s going to be challenging at work. I know that people are going to question if you helped me along the way.”

“Anyone who thinks that doesn’t know you.”

She smiled. “I had to fight to get to this place, and I plan to fight just as hard to make it work with you. When you got hurt, I thought about what my life would be like without you and I don’t want that. I love you, and nothing is going to change that.”

“I love you too, which is why I wanted to make sure you were okay with how things will be at work.”

“It sucks,” she said, “But it will be worth.” She leaned forward and kissed him. “Why did you agree to the week?”

“I didn’t want to do anything without talking to you first and I figured that would at least give us a few more days before the whole hospital is in our business.”

“Maybe you should’ve asked for two weeks then,” she said smiling as she kissed him again.

He laughed. “Too bad I didn’t think of that.”

She moved so she could rest her head against his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her.

“I don’t want to hide this,” she said softly. “I am nervous about how the others will react, but I don’t want to run away from happiness with you.”

He drew her closer. “I don’t want that either. Will you tell me if anyone gives you a hard time?”

“No,” she said with a sigh. “I think we’re going to have to agree that we’re not going to always be able to share everything that happens at work with each other.”

“I hate that.”

“I don’t like it either, but it’s too risky. You’re still the boss, if I tell you something that someone did or said, you have the power to make things difficult for them.” She sat up so she could look at him. “You and I both know that you would never do that, but it’s not worth anyone even thinking about it.”

“I know you’re right.”

“Of course, I am.”

“Just promise if things get really bad that you’ll tell me something, even if you can’t tell me exactly what happened.”

“Okay.”

“Even if this is a little complicated, we’re still a team.”

“I love being on a team with you,” she said her smile lighting up her face. “I don’t think Shaun, Morgan, or Alex are going to be too surprised.”

“Probably not.”

She leaned back on the sofa. “I’m sure Shaun’s going to remind me of when he accused me of flirting with you.”

“What?” he asked, “When was that?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Tell me. Why did he think you were flirting?”

She rolled her eyes. “He had asked for help in how to tell if someone was flirting so I told him. He later told me that I displayed those behaviors with you.

“And what were those behaviors?” he smiled as he noticed the blush on her cheeks. “And how did I not realize this?”

“Because I wasn’t flirting.” She made a face. “At least not intentionally.”

He brought her back into his arms. “You’re going to have to show me.”

“No,” she laughed. “I really don’t.”

She settled against him as he thought about the challenges ahead. At least they would have the next week to be together before the rest of the hospital knew. He planned to take advantage on every second they could be together.


	4. Chapter Four

The two months since Neil had told Audrey about the change in his relationship with Claire had flown by. Adjusting to a relationship with Claire had been easy, but not without some challenges. While they had a solid friendship to build upon, they still needed to learn more about each other. They were both stubborn which lead to a few fights, but they always made up. Even though Claire had shared a lot with him as they had gotten closer, she tended to keep things to herself and not let him know what was bothering her. It frustrated him, when he could see something was wrong and wanted to fix it. They had a long talk about how important it was to talk to each other. He knew she was used to doing things on her own but wanted her to know that they were a team.

A few weeks into their relationship, he had taken her to meet Gabbi. While she was a little unsure at first, it hadn’t taken long for Claire to win her over. Now, he was met with disappointment if he came alone. It had taken him longer to bring Claire to meet his parents. He loved his parents, but their relationship was always a little strained because of their treatment of Gabbi. He hadn’t been surprised that his parents loved Claire immediately. Although, he had been shocked when his mother had pulled him aside and given him his grandmother’s engagement ring. At first, he had been annoyed because he had asked her for the ring when he had asked Jessica to marry him, but his mother had said she couldn’t find it. But then he realized that everything happened for a reason, and Claire was always the one who was meant for him. He told his mother it was too early to be thinking about getting married, but both knew it was inevitable as she told him she could see the love and happiness between them. The ring sat safely in his drawer at home waiting for the right moment.

The changes at work were a little more challenging and lead to some of the bumps in their relationship. Audrey hadn’t been kidding when she told him she would be putting Claire on different shifts. There were times when they were on opposite schedules, which made them both cranky when they didn’t get to see each other as much as they wanted. The better days were when their shifts overlapped some and they were able to spend time together at home. Despite the craziness, they both agreed that it was worth it and enjoyed building their lives together.

The gossip at work hadn’t been as bad as he expected. Apparently, a lot of the nurses had already been waiting for them to reveal they were together. That didn’t stop a few of them from coming up to him and telling him that he needed to treat Claire properly. He thought it was telling that even though he had worked with them longer, Claire was the one they worried about. He was glad to have them on their side. His residents were more annoyed by the change than anything. Morgan seemed more concerned that Claire had an advantage over her, while Alex seemed more concerned about the affect on Claire’s career. Shaun was the one who had surprised him. If Neil had thought Shaun was unpleasant to work with when he was dealing with his own relationship issues, it was even worse now. He blamed Neil for the fact that he couldn’t work with Claire anymore. Some days it was so bad that he ended up teasing Claire that it might be worth it to break up just to make Shaun less of a jerk.

However, even he could admit that things were different without Claire on his team. He had always known that she was special and incredibly talented, but her absence made it even clearer. He missed brainstorming with her, missed debating new ideas and diagnoses, and missed her calming presence with the patients. He had been honest when he told her that she made him a better surgeon. He tried to think about what she would do when dealing with challenging patients.

Claire was currently assigned to one of the other doctors in cardiothoracics, Dr. Adam Wallace. Neil had worked with him for a while and if he couldn’t be the one to mentor Claire, he was glad Adam could. Claire spoke highly of him, although she made sure to tell him that he was still the best surgeon she had ever worked with. She didn’t mention the residents that she worked with very often, and he wondered about how things were going with them. They were sticking by their promise not to discuss certain parts of the job with each other, but he still worried about her. 

Today was one of the days where they were on overlapping shifts. Claire had to been in a few hours earlier than him, and he would be home later than her, but they would make it work. They had gotten in the habit of waking up early or staying up late to make sure that they would be able to spend time together. Claire hadn’t officially moved into his place yet, but she spent most of her time there. She had tried at first to match his level of organization, but after a while told him he would just have to deal with some mess. He still teased her about it, but he didn’t mind it as much as he thought it would. Her presence made it feel more like a home.

He was startled from his thoughts by Audrey knocking on his door. He motioned for her to come in. He frowned when she pulled the door close.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as she came to sit down, remembering the last time she closed the door to tell him about the favoritism complaint.

“Nothing wrong,” she sighed. “We’re having a meeting in a few minutes are you available?”

He checked the time, “I have a surgery in half an hour, but I can come until then. What’s it about?”

“Aaron didn’t think we should tell you about it, but I thought everyone who has worked with Claire should be there.”

A feeling of dread settled on his chest. “What happened? Is she okay?”

She seemed to be examining him before she answered. “She hasn’t said anything?” she asked finally.

“We try to get our professional life separate,” he answered. “Should I be worried?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’ll explain everything when we get to the meeting, but I need you to do me a favor.”

“What?”

“You need to be there as an attending, not her boyfriend.”

“Audrey, what’s going on?”

“If you can’t do that,” she said, ignoring his question, “Then I’m going to have to ask you to leave the meeting.”

“Of course, I can do that.” 

He knew he would need to keep his mouth closed so he could find out what had happened. He tried to think about what it could be, but Claire hadn’t given any indication that there was an issue at work.

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

The two of them stood and headed over to her office. He wanted to reach out to Claire and see what could be wrong, but knew it was more important to keep professional. When they entered her office, Aaron, Marcus and Adam were already there. They sat down at the table.

“Thank you all for coming on short notice. I want to make sure that everyone knows that whatever is discussed here, stays in this room.”

Neil felt the others look at him and knew that was Audrey’s way of telling him that whatever they discussed he couldn’t go home and share with Claire. It frustrated him that after two months, they still felt that there was a problem. He had thought the two of them had been doing a great job keeping things separate. Once everyone agreed, she continued.

“First, I want to ask Adam, how Dr. Browne is doing with you and your other residents.”

Adam glanced at him and then to Audrey. “She’s doing really well. She’s an excellent surgeon, deals well with our patients, and has been encouraging me to think outside the box.”

Neil felt as sense of pride that she continued to do well but wondered why they were here talking about her if everything was fine.

“You don’t have any concerns?” Audrey asked.

“I wouldn’t call it a concern, but I have talked to her about not getting too involved with her patients.”

“Good luck with that,” Neil smiled. “I’ve been telling her that since she started.”

Adam laughed. “There are worse things than a doctor caring about their patients. Is something wrong Audrey?”

She pulled out a file. “I’ve gotten a lot of complaints the past few days.”

“About Claire?” Marcus asked, confusion clear on his face.

Neil was confused as well. He couldn’t imagine what complaints there could be.

“According to a few nurses and even some patients,” Audrey continued, “the residents that Claire is working with have been working to undermine her.”

“How?” Aaron asked.

Reading from the file, she said, “They have been talking to her patients to convince them that she is taking unnecessary risks, that tests she has ordered are unnecessary or that her diagnosis is wrong. Quite a few of the nurses reached out because they were concerned. Once they speak to her patients, Claire then must spend extra time convincing them that she was right, wasting vital time.”

Neil was furious that her coworkers would treat her that way. However, he kept silent knowing that speaking out for her would cause more trouble.

“That can’t be true,” Adam said.

“I have some complaints from patients too,” Audrey said. “They mentioned how unprofessional her colleagues were and how she handled it.”

“I had no idea,” Adam sunk down in his chair. “She hasn’t said a word about it.”

“Unfortunately, she can’t,” she said as she glanced at Neil, “If she speaks out or if her patient satisfactory scores decrease, then they are going to say that she needed Neil’s support to be successful.”

Neil ran his hand across his eyes with a sigh. This was exactly what they had been afraid of happening. He had thought they were in the clear because there had not been any gossip that he had heard. Instead, Claire had been dealing with her coworkers trying to undermine her. It was a testament to her talent and strength that he hadn’t seemed to work. Instead she had the nurses and patients speaking up for her.

“Has there been an impact on her performance?” Marcus asked.

“Not at all,” Adam answered immediately. “She’s one of the most talented residents I’ve ever worked with.” He sighed. “Imagine what she could be doing without them working against her.”

Audrey glanced at them all. “What’s the plan to take care of these complaints?”

“I’ll talk to Dr. Green and Dr. Jackson to let them know that their behavior is unacceptable.”

“No,” Neil said.

“What do you mean no?” Aaron asked, incredulously. “You want their treatment to continue?”

“Of course, not,” Neil answered. “But right now, you know what they’re doing. Claire’s still able to do her job. If you say something to them, they might try to be sneaky about what they’re doing. At least now you can keep an eye on the situation.”

They spent a little more time discussing how they would monitor the situation and what next steps they would put in place if the behavior did escalate. He again agreed that he wouldn’t share anything they talked about in the meeting, even though he did want to check on Claire. With a sigh, he left to continue his shift. He had a successful surgery, ran some tests on a patient and spend some time in the ER before it was time to go home. Claire had left before him and had texted that she was stopping at the grocery store.

While his shift had gone well, he was exhausted to hear what Claire had been dealing with. He wasn’t surprised that she was able to deal with it so well, but he hated that she hadn’t been able to lean on him. He hated that their relationship had put her in that situation. His exhaustion lifted some as he pulled into his driveway and saw that her car was already there. He went inside with a smile.

As he dropped his things by the door and slipped off his shoes, he called for her. She didn’t answer but he could hear some music coming from the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway watching as Claire was putting away the groceries singing along to the music. He was always blown away when he heard her sing, although it wasn’t something that happened often. She was nervous about singing in front of people.

He stepped into the kitchen, watching her and seeing how happy she looked. He could spend the rest of his life just watching her. She turned around, jumping when she saw him. He laughed as she turned off the music.

“You don’t have to stop because I’m here.”

He smiled as he noticed the blush on her face as if she were embarrassed at being caught.

“How long were you there?” she asked.

“Not long.”

“Next time say something.”

“I was enjoying the show,” he said, with a smile.

“Whatever you say,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Do you need any help?”

“I’m all done.”

He noticed that the oven was on. “Did you make dinner?” he asked, all her previous attempts had been disastrous.

“I bought something from the store and put it in the oven, does that count as making dinner?” she asked as she walked over to him wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Less chance of food poisoning that way,” he teased as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him.

“Funny,” she said as she closed the distance between them to kiss him. “How was your day?”

“It was fine,” he said, thinking about the meeting from earlier. “How about you?”

“It was good. Dr. Wallace might not be as good as you, but I’m still learning a lot from him.”

“Are you happy?” he asked softly.

“Idiotically happy,” she grinned as she kissed him. “You?”

“Happier than I’ve been in a long time.”

“Good,” she said.

Keeping her close, he led her towards the sofa. He realized that there was nothing that he could do about how the other residents were treating her. He needed to stop worrying about the affect of their relationship on her career and instead focus on the fact that they were both happy. Claire was the strongest person he knew, and she would be fine. He planned on enjoying their alone time together.


	5. Chapter Five

Neil woke up to the sound of Claire’s alarm. He heard her groan and felt her snuggle closer to him. She had the same reaction every morning when the alarm went off. He reached out to the phone on the nightstand turning off the annoying sound.

“Thanks,” Claire mumbled.

He ran his hand against her bare back, “Someone had to do it. It didn’t seem like you want to move.”

“I’m comfortable.”

He fought back a smile. Even though Claire wasn’t a morning person, he enjoyed this quiet time together. She still had to go into work earlier than he did, but he liked waking up with her.

“You can always call in and say you’ll be late.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

“Dr. Browne thinking about missing work,” he teased. “I’m shocked.”

She pressed a kiss against his chest before looking up at him. “For you I’d consider it.”

He leaned forward to kiss her. “I feel honored.”

She smiled. “What does your day look like?”

“I have a few surgeries scheduled, how about you?”

“Nothing scheduled, I think we’re in the ER,” she said sounding disappointed. 

“Maybe something will happen there.”

She rested her head back against his chest and he continued to rub her back.

“I’ll have to fight the others for anything interesting.”

“I’d put money on you winning,” he said. He thought about the meeting yesterday and how they had been treating her. He knew he couldn’t share with her what they discussed, but he could still check in with how things were going. “Are things going okay with the other residents?”

“Things are fine,” she said as she brought her hand up and gently traced over the outline of his tattoo. “They’re just annoying.”

“Annoying like Shaun or Morgan?”

“Their own special kind of annoying.”

“Want to talk about it?” he asked, torn between wanting to know everything and wanting to maintain their boundaries.

“No,” she said. “I can handle them.”

Her second alarm interrupted what he wanted to say. She kissed him before climbing out of bed. He reached for her hand and pulled her back.

“If they get more than just annoying, I want you tell me.”

She leaned forward capturing his lips again. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her back into bed.

“I promise if it gets worse, you’ll be the third person I tell.”

“Third?”

“Dr. Lim and Dr. Wallace would be first.” She kissed him again. “Anyway, some annoyance is worth it to be able to do that.” She pulled away. “I have to get ready or I’ll be late.”

Even though he had a few more hours until he needed to head into the hospital, he got up while Claire got ready. He made them breakfast and the enjoyed a quiet morning together. He went back to bed for a little while after she left. It frustrated him that things weren’t perfect for her at work, but he trusted that she had it under control. He got a little more sleep before he went to work. 

Neil sat in his office reading over the notes for his first surgery, when someone knocked at the door. He looked up surprised to see Adam. He motioned for him to come in and have a seat.

“I wanted to check and see how Dr. Browne was doing,” Adam said. “I keep thinking about the complaints Audrey told us about. I can’t believe I missed that.”

Neil took a sip of his coffee to stall for a minute. He wasn’t sure why he was here talking about Claire and he didn’t want to say anything to make things harder for her.

“She’s fine,” he said finally. “She speaks very highly of you.”

“That’s nice to hear. I meant what I said yesterday, she’s very talented. As you know from working with her.” Adam sighed. “I have to be honest with you, Neil.”

“Okay,” he was curious what he would tell him.

“I wasn’t happy at first when Audrey told me I was getting your resident and why. I have to admit that I was expecting someone completely different. I’m ashamed to say that I figured that you had given her help along the way.”

Neil opened his mouth to argue with him, but Adam silenced him by holding up his hand.

“I know how horrible that sounds, but it didn’t take me long to realize just how wrong I was.” He leaned back in the chair. “I think that’s what the other residents are struggling with. Not only is she a gifted surgeon but she’s got a big heart. People don’t know how to handle that.”

“I take it she hasn’t disagreed with you yet.”

“Oh no, she does that plenty,” Adam laughed. “Even with just working with her a few weeks, I feel like she’s pushed me to be even better.”

He nodded in agreement. He was glad that Adam saw all that he did in Claire as well. He knew that Adam would be a good mentor for her.

“I asked her if it was worth it,” he continued sheepishly.

“What?”

“Your relationship.”

He was surprised that Adam would ask something so personal and that Claire hadn’t mentioned it.

“What did she say?” he asked, even though he was sure he knew the answer.

‘Didn’t even hesitate,” Adam said. “She lit up and said absolutely.” He stood to leave. “Although I’m sure that’s not a surprise to you.”

“I never expected for it to happen,” he admitted, “But I’m grateful it did.”

“I think you’re right about not calling out the others, but I am going to keep a closer eye on them.”

“Thanks.”

“I’ll talk to you later,” Adam said as he left.

Neil went back to looking over his surgical plan but kept thinking about his conversation with Adam. He was glad that he had been right that others would see how amazing she was. He figured that the other residents were just jealous that their attending enjoyed working with Claire. He knew he shouldn’t tell her, but he was proud of her and wanted to let her know that Adam spoke highly of her.

He went and had a successful surgery. As he was scrubbing out, he noticed that the nurses were in the corner talking and seemed excited about something. Curious, he had asked them what was going on. They told him that Claire was assisting on an aortic dissection repair but didn’t say why they were excited. His next surgery wasn’t scheduled for a while and he was sure Morgan or Shaun could take care of the prepping. He went up to the gallery to watch Claire.

He stood at the window looking down finding her easily. Even from here, he could see the concentration in her eyes for the procedure. He turned as someone else entered the gallery.

“I knew you’d be here,” Audrey said moving to stand beside him.

“It’s a difficult surgery. I’m not allowed to watch.”

“Are you watching the surgery or your girlfriend?”

“Can’t I do both?” he grinned. “Why are you here?”

“I wanted to talk to you. “I don’t think there will be any more complaints about the other residents.”

“Why?”

“From what I heard from the nurses, they had gone to talk to Claire’s patient and the patient they were supposed to be working on,” she gestured below, “started to crash. Claire’s quick thinking stabilized him, and since she was the one who took care of him, Adam said she’d get to assist.”

“I bet that made them happy.”

Audrey shrugged. “That’s what happens when you’re doing something you have no business doing.” She turned towards him. “She really never told you anything about what was happening?”

He kept his eyes on Claire watching her. “She never said a word. I asked her this morning how things were going, and she just said they were annoying.” He shook his head. “She told me that if they got worse, she would speak to you and Adam.”

“I underestimated her.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was so concerned about how everyone would treat her when they found out you were together, that I didn’t even think about the fact that she could handle it herself.” She sighed. “It’s a shame that we had to stop working with her though.”

“I know. I do miss working with her too.”

“If you could do it all over again, would you still choose to be together?” Audrey asked curious.

“Yes,” he said softly. “It’s worth it.”

“Maybe if you both continue being ridiculously professional, you’ll be able to work together again.”

“Ridiculously professional?” he repeated. “What does that even mean?”

“It means half the staff doesn’t even realize you two are together.”

“Would you rather we made out in front of them?”

“No,” she laughed. “Remember we tried that, and it didn’t end so well.”

He nudged her with his elbow. “Not my brightest idea.”

“I’m glad you’re happy,” Audrey said. 

“Thanks. Are you happy?”

Audrey rolled her eyes. “Yes, and I’m not telling you about it now. We’ll have to get drinks together soon.”

“Sounds good.”

“And I’m sure you have your own patients to take care of instead of standing here watching Claire.”

“I have a few more minutes before I need to get ready.”

“Don’t be late.”

“I won’t.”

She left him alone to watch Claire for a few more minutes. He was glad that he and Audrey were able to get back to their friendship after their relationship ended. They were much better as friends. His relationship with Claire was what he had always wanted. He was grateful that they were able to find each other despite the potential consequences. He looked forward to when they got home and would be able to be alone.


	6. Chapter Six

In the six months since Neil had learned about some of the challenges Claire had at work, their relationship had gotten stronger and work had gotten better for both of them. The residents she worked with seemed to finally realize they would all work better together. Audrey had begun to let Claire work with them to brainstorm ideas, but still did not have them in the OR together. Soon it was just accepted that the two of them were a couple as everyone realized it didn’t impact their ability to do their job.

Claire had officially moved in with him a few months ago, and even though not much changed, they both enjoyed the permanence that a move meant. He enjoyed coming home from work and knowing that she would be there and loved waking up with her in his arms. The still occasionally had disagreements but were able to work through them. They knew that their relationship was meant to last.

Neil had been trying for the past few days to ask Claire to marry him. It seemed like every time he had a plan, something happened to derail it. Emergency surgeries, difficult days at work, and exhaustion were the biggest issues. Also, he wasn’t sure the best way to ask her. She always told him that she didn’t like romantics and he wanted to ask her in a way that honored her dislike and his desire to be romantic with her.

He had a rare night home alone as Claire had gone out with Morgan, Alex and some of the other residents. She had invited him along as her boyfriend, but he decided not to go because he doubted the others would want their boss there. As always, she had understood even if she seemed a little disappointed that he wouldn’t be with her. She had left a few hours ago and told him she would take a uber home. He had also offered to come pick her up. If previous outings were any indication, she usually got a little drunk when she went with Morgan.

They both had the next day off, which is when he was thinking of finally asking her to marry him. He just needed to figure out how to tell her how much she meant to him. Instead, of obsessing over what to say, he decided to use the quiet time to write up a journal article and read a new book that Claire had picked up for him. He was struggling some to concentrate as his mind kept drifting to her. However, after awhile he became engrossed in the story.

He startled sometime later when he heard the door open. He checked the time and he was surprised she was home already. He listened as she dropped her things by the door. She came into the living room and saw him on the sofa. He could see that his prediction was right, and she was tipsy. She walked over towards him, and he lifted his book out of the way as she laid down on top of him. He closed the book and dropped it on the floor so he could wrap his arms around her.

“You’re home early,” he said.

“Everyone else was trying to find someone to take home. I already have you.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I could’ve come to get you.”

She shook her head against his chest. “I liked the idea of coming home to you.” She snuggled closer to him. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

“Sounds like you’re turning into a sap.”

“That’s your fault,” she mumbled.

He held her close to him. He thought of suggesting she’d be more comfortable if they moved to the bed, but he enjoyed having her in his arms knowing that she wanted to be there instead of with her friends. He thought that she was falling asleep, but she moved against him.

“We should get married.”

He had been agonizing for days about the right way to ask her and she just came right out and said it. He fought back a smile.

“Are you asking me or telling me?” he asked unable to hide his amusement.

She rested her chin on his chest so she could look up at him. “Telling you. We both know that’s what we want.”

He thought about the conversation they had in the locker room months ago when he had pushed her to take a chance with Dash, and about her fears about hurting someone she cared about. They had come so far together.

“We can talk about that tomorrow,” he said softly, knowing that sometime tomorrow he would be asking her to marry him. “Let’s get you to bed.”

“No,” she said, snuggling back against him. “I’m good here.”

He moved his arms from around her and gently nudged her off him. “We’ll be more comfortable in bed.”

Rolling her eyes, she stood. He got up after her and reached out when he noticed she was a little wobbly. He placed his arm around her waist and lead her towards their bedroom. He gave her some Tylenol and water before helping her into bed. He climbed in beside her, smiling as she immediately cuddled against him.

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” he said, pulling her closer.

He fell asleep thinking about their future together.

When he woke up, Claire was still laying against him with her arm wrapped around his waist. He carefully slid out of bed so that he wouldn’t disturb her. She whimpered in her sleep as she reached out for him. He was tempted to climb back into bed with her, but he had other plans. He went to the drawer and took out the box with his grandmother’s ring. He knew that he wanted to give it to her this morning.

He walked into the kitchen and made some coffee. He placed the box on the counter and stared at it. Waiting to ask her had never been about a fear of her saying no, but more about him not being able to express just how much she meant to him. He thought of what she had said last night, and she was right, this was what they both wanted.

He glanced up as he heard her coming out of the bedroom. He fought back a smile when he noticed she was wearing his Stanford sweatshirt and a pair of leggings. He went to fix her a cup of coffee.

Handing her the cup, he glanced down at the sweatshirt. He always loved when she wore it, but still liked teasing her about it. “You know I can just buy you one of your own.”

She took a sip of coffee. “No thanks. I like this one,” she said with a smile

“Did you have fun last night?” he asked, taking a drink of coffee.

She made a face. “Remind me next time to not try to keep up with Morgan.”

He laughed. “I’ll try.”

He watched her as she drank her coffee, her hands almost hidden by the sleeves of his sweatshirt. A sense of peace filled him. He was going to get to do this for the rest of his life.

“You mentioned something last night,” he said, placing his coffee on the counter. “Getting married, did you mean it?”

“Yes,” she answered, placing her cup next to his.

He picked up the box and took a step towards her. He saw the way her eyes widened as she took in the box in his hand, her eyes filling with tears.

“I’ve been trying to figure out what level of romance to use when I ask you.”

“Start with the least romantic,” she said her voice trembling.

He took a few more steps to close the distance between them, he kept his eyes on hers.

“Marry me.”

The smile that broke out on her face took his breath away. “Yes,” she whispered.

“You’re not even going to let me try a little romance before you say yes?” he teased.

“If you have to,” she said rolling her eyes with a sigh. 

He knew her well enough to see the teasing in her expression. He believed that secretly she enjoyed when he did romantic things for her. He would never share that with her, knowing she would deny it. He also enjoyed watching her try to hide her enjoyment. He placed the box on top the counter and took both her hands in his. He felt overwhelmed with emotion as he looked into her eyes.

“If anyone would have told me when you first started as my resident, that we would end up like this, I would’ve laughed at them,” he began softly. “But now, I can’t imagine my life without you. I fought my feelings for you for so long, and I am so glad that we found a way to be together. I found the idiotic happiness that our young patients had.” He reached up and wiped away a tear. “My life is better because you’re in it and I can’t imagine anyone else that I want to spend the rest of my life with. Will you marry me?”

“Yes.” She wiped away a few tears. “If that’s just a little romance, I can’t imagine what the full blown one would be.”

“I can do that one too, if you’d like,” he said with a smile.

She shook her head, “No, that was good.”

He reached for the box and took out the ring. He gently took her hand and slid the ring on her finger. 

“Neil, it’s beautiful,” she said bringing her hand up to look at the ring.

“It had been my grandmother’s,” he said. “My mom gave it to me the day she met you.”

She looked up at him, “That was ages ago. Why did you wait so long?”

He reached out to caress her face. “I wanted for everything to be perfect,” he smiled. “And then you come up telling me that we need to get married, messed with all my plans.”

“I’d apologize, but I’m not sorry.” She moved to place her arms around his neck. “I think this is perfect.”

He slid his hands around her waist and couldn’t help but agree with her. He closed the distance between them and kissed her. Her arms tightened around his neck as she pulled herself closer to him. After a few minutes, she stepped away but kept her arms around him.

“What do you want for a wedding?” she asked.

“Planning already?”

She shrugged. “I may have thought about it before.”

He captured her lips for another kiss, before they stepped out of each other’s embrace to sit at the counter. He reached out and took her hand in his.

“Be honest,” she said squeezing his hand. “What do you want to do? You tell me your idea and I’ll tell you mine, so we can decide together.”

He thought for a few minutes about what he would want their wedding to look like. Before he had always assumed that he would get married in a church, but he realized that he didn’t really care about where they had the ceremony.

“I don’t care about the actual wedding,” he admitted. “I just want to be able to tell the world that Claire Browne is my wife.”

Her face lit up with another breathtaking smile. “I have an idea, but I need you to promise not to agree to it if it’s not what you want to do.”

“I promise.”

“What if we get married just us, and we have Gabbi and your parents as witnesses?”

He loved how Claire made sure to always include his sister. He knew his parents would be upset if they weren’t involved when he got married.

“I’d like that.”

She squeezed his hand. “I wasn’t done.”

He grinned. “Sorry.”

“We could then have a party for all of our friends and some of your family to celebrate, and I’ll even let you plan it.”

He pulled her hand to bring her off her seat and into his arms.

“Are you going to let me give a speech about how lucky I am and how much I love you?”

She rolled her eyes as she fought back a grin. “If you insist. But don’t expect me to give one. You’re the only one who needs to know how I feel about you.”

“You’ve thought about this a lot,” he said.

“You’re the only person I want to spend the rest of my life with and build a family with, of course I’ve thought about it.”

He kissed her. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

She took a step away from him and tugged on his hand to have him follow her. As they made their way back to their bedroom to celebrate, he thought about all that they had been through to get to this moment. He was so grateful that he hadn’t been more injured in the earthquake and was able to take a risk with her. He couldn’t wait for them to take the next step in the journey together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for taking the time to read! I hope you enjoyed the story!


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